“When you believe that you provide value, you should be willing to ask for it. And when you’re willing to ask for it, it’s amazing the results that you can create, not only for your client but for yourself.” – Jeff Bajorek in today’s Tip 567
Do you ask for what you want?
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today Jeff Bajorek is back.
Jeff Bajorek: Ask for what you want. It’s interesting. I was thinking about this after I had a call with a client earlier today. When you’re very general with your request, you will get a very general response. When you’re very direct with your request, you will get a very direct response. And I mean, in terms of whether or not people are willing to respond, as well as how specifically they’re willing to respond. And so many people are unwilling to be direct because they’re trying to be human because they’re trying not to be pushy. They forget that pushy and director two mutually exclusive terms.
So let’s take an appointment for instance. You’re kind of engaging with somebody. Maybe you’ve been referred to somebody and you want to meet with them because you know that you can provide value to them. And they’re new in town. So you say, “Hey look, why don’t we get together?” And they say, “Yeah, we should do that.” But you know, it’s kind of crazy. Now there’s two ways you can go. You can say, “Sure, call me back or return my text or let me know when your schedule opens up” and you kind of leave it out there and it’s vague. And look, you don’t want to be pushy because this person’s new. So you’re just going to leave it up to them. Now, the ball’s in their court. Forget the fact that you’re abdicating your responsibility, right? You have totally lost touch with your job when you leave it up to them. But that’s another video, but you’re leaving it up to them and they’re going to be very nonspecific with their response. If they respond at all, they don’t know why it’s important to even call you back, let alone when so they probably won’t. But if you’re a little more direct with your request, “Hey, I know you’re new in town. Things can get crazy. You’re trying to acclimate to a new position, a new city, all these new patterns that go on in your office or with your business. I’ll tell you what, let me give you a week. And then at the end of a week, you’re either going to need a break or you’ll be ready. So why don’t we get some on the calendar for a cup of coffee or maybe a virtual happy hour kind of deal via zoom. And why don’t we put some on the calendar for next Thursday afternoon at 4:30.” That’s a very specific request, nothing pushy about it. You were just very direct about what you were asking for, because you know, and this is the key. You know you provide value that no one else provides for this customer.
Now, even if they can’t make that Thursday afternoon, they will respond directly with a more specific response. “Hey, I can’t do Thursday afternoon, but Friday afternoon, we got a half-day scheduled for some office party. I’m going to bail on that early. Anyway, why don’t we get together then.” Now you’re onto something. And at least you have an appointment. Let’s take this another way where your lack of being direct actually gets in your way of closing sales. And there’s a million ways we can take this, but in a similar situation, similar client, actually, Hey, I had an interaction at a networking event with a client, with a referral source, with a customer with you, fill in the blank. And I wasn’t quite sure how to ask, but I thought that just being there in front of them at the right time at the right place was going to be enough.
Well, it wasn’t, you missed your opportunity there on that whatever Wednesday evening, you know, networking event or whatever it was. Well, now all of a sudden you set your own sales process back a couple of weeks up to a couple of weeks, because when you just saw someone on a Wednesday evening, it’s really difficult to just by happenstance or coincidence, run into them in another place, or make a proactive telephone call to their office like you normally would during your followup. Now, all of a sudden that missed opportunity means you may need to wait a couple of weeks before it actually makes sense for them to hear from you again, depending on your sales process and this delay in you closing business, potentially closing business. All because you weren’t prepared and or you just weren’t willing to be direct.
Selling is a results-oriented game. It’s also a result compensated game in many cases. And when you are not willing to ask for what you want, you start where you’re not able to count on the results that you need in order to perform. When you don’t get what you don’t ask for, or when you know you can’t count on getting what you don’t ask for. It starts to really not make a lot of sense to not be as direct as you possibly can.
There’s a big difference between being direct and knowing what you want and asking for it and being pushy and to conflate being pushy with not being human or to really be worried about not being likable so much that you’re not willing to ask for what you need, particularly when that thing you know, you can deliver will make you more likable. Look, I’m starting to talk in circles here, but you know what I’m talking about, and you can understand what I’m getting at here. When you believe that you provide value, you should be willing to ask for it. And when you’re willing to ask for it, it’s amazing the results that you can create, not only for your client but for yourself.
Scott Ingram: Here’s what I want. I want you to go to DailySales.Tips/567 That’s where you’ll find all of Jeff’s stuff, but the very specific thing I want you do while you’re there is to join the listener list. Those who are subscribed almost always get the latest, greatest, and best stuff and we’ve got some seriously great stuff coming. One more time. DailySales.Tips/567 and join the listener list. Check out Jeff’s stuff too!
Then be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!